Comments on: Family Tree Maker Is a Holiday Hit! http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit The official blog of Ancestry.com Thu, 23 May 2013 03:10:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Tony Knight http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51132 Tony Knight Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:56:22 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51132 At the risk of being called a Troll. There is firstly no forum where anyone can vent, so if someone is silly enough to start a thread saying how wonderful FTM is, then look out. There was a comedy programme on British television some time ago called "Never mind the quality, feel the width". This perhaps describes FTM succintly. It has loads of bells and whistles, but it simply doesn't work properly for many people on an absolutely basic level. I like it for its format, but the number of man hours I have lost, because it won't work properly is unbelievable. We start with having to jump through hoops even to instal it. It doesn't like large amounts of data and runs slow and crashes. Bring in file from another a program such as Legacy and it may corrupt your data, etc etc etc. The core problems are not suffered by the users of other programs and it is therefore the quality of the code and/or the obesession with integration with Ancestry that is to blame. Bow to Mac users wish to have a Mac version, base it on FTM2010 Windows and it has all the problems of that version, including some that had been patched out and extras thrown in. At the risk of being called a Troll.

There is firstly no forum where anyone can vent, so if someone is silly enough to start a thread saying how wonderful FTM is, then look out.

There was a comedy programme on British television some time ago called “Never mind the quality, feel the width”. This perhaps describes FTM succintly. It has loads of bells and whistles, but it simply doesn’t work properly for many people on an absolutely basic level. I like it for its format, but the number of man hours I have lost, because it won’t work properly is unbelievable.

We start with having to jump through hoops even to instal it. It doesn’t like large amounts of data and runs slow and crashes. Bring in file from another a program such as Legacy and it may corrupt your data, etc etc etc.

The core problems are not suffered by the users of other programs and it is therefore the quality of the code and/or the obesession with integration with Ancestry that is to blame.

Bow to Mac users wish to have a Mac version, base it on FTM2010 Windows and it has all the problems of that version, including some that had been patched out and extras thrown in.

]]> By: Will Campbell http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51123 Will Campbell Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:50:30 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51123 I've been reading this blog since FTM 2008 came out, and yet I'm still surprised at the visceral negativity many of the comments contain here. If you don't like a product, then don't purchase it. There's no need to troll the blog. Most game forums are more civil than this, and they're frequented by 14 year old boys. I wouldn't have expected genealogists to be such scrooges. If you are an owner of Family Tree Maker 2008-2011, you are entitled to request bug fixes and enhancements. You have a right to ask for a discount on upgrades to new versions. But do so in a constructive manner. We have a saying at my company: "don't call the developer's baby ugly." People don't want to help people that aren't polite, positive, and reasoned. A little niceness goes a long way! Happy Holidays, -Will I’ve been reading this blog since FTM 2008 came out, and yet I’m still surprised at the visceral negativity many of the comments contain here. If you don’t like a product, then don’t purchase it. There’s no need to troll the blog. Most game forums are more civil than this, and they’re frequented by 14 year old boys. I wouldn’t have expected genealogists to be such scrooges.

If you are an owner of Family Tree Maker 2008-2011, you are entitled to request bug fixes and enhancements. You have a right to ask for a discount on upgrades to new versions. But do so in a constructive manner. We have a saying at my company: “don’t call the developer’s baby ugly.” People don’t want to help people that aren’t polite, positive, and reasoned. A little niceness goes a long way!

Happy Holidays,
-Will

]]> By: W Clayton http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51119 W Clayton Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:24:27 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51119 I would appreciate someone that is a PURCHASER of FTM 2011 conducting a test for me. Take any small family branch anc create one at a time both a Ancestors Genealogy Report and a Descendants Genealogy report. Then export them in .rtf Format. Go to your Word processor and open them and see if they are 100.0% editable in .rft and do not contain built in Headers nor Footers. This has been the acid test of FTM 2008-2010 and each of them have failed the test! I will never purchase FTM again until this massive Disaster of an Issue is solved. As a volunteer at a local FHC I am asked dozens of times a year about buying a Tree program and I have told at least 100 people to never buy FTM until they wise up and fix this problem needed by SERIOUS Genealogists! I would appreciate someone that is a PURCHASER of FTM 2011 conducting a test for me. Take any small family branch anc create one at a time both a Ancestors Genealogy Report and a Descendants Genealogy report. Then export them in .rtf Format. Go to your Word processor and open them and see if they are 100.0% editable in .rft and do not contain built in Headers nor Footers. This has been the acid test of FTM 2008-2010 and each of them have failed the test! I will never purchase FTM again until this massive Disaster of an Issue is solved. As a volunteer at a local FHC I am asked dozens of times a year about buying a Tree program and I have told at least 100 people to never buy FTM until they wise up and fix this problem needed by SERIOUS Genealogists!

]]> By: BEE http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51077 BEE Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:48:15 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51077 I had a problem last week when I was trying to transfer information from one tree to another one, as well as trying to locate a document I could access from the old tree, but couldn't find it in a new "old search". I called tech support and spoke with a very nice young man who walked me through the process and solved my problem, so I was very pleased with the service I received. I had a problem last week when I was trying to transfer information from one tree to another one, as well as trying to locate a document I could access from the old tree, but couldn’t find it in a new “old search”.
I called tech support and spoke with a very nice young man who walked me through the process and solved my problem, so I was very pleased with the service I received.

]]> By: Anna http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51058 Anna Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:26:37 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51058 What's up with the new family tree maker not being able to install on Windows XP? I have this problem and can't find a fix, and I see a lot of other XP owners posting online about the same problem (missing an installer component, Error 1305). Where's the solution? What’s up with the new family tree maker not being able to install on Windows XP? I have this problem and can’t find a fix, and I see a lot of other XP owners posting online about the same problem (missing an installer component, Error 1305). Where’s the solution?

]]> By: Tana L. Pedersen http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51050 Tana L. Pedersen Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:25:58 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51050 Thanks to all you for answering each others questions. Tony, I also tried to access the Family Tree Maker message boards and you're right, they're missing. I am checking into what happened and will let you know what I find out. Thanks to all you for answering each others questions.

Tony, I also tried to access the Family Tree Maker message boards and you’re right, they’re missing. I am checking into what happened and will let you know what I find out.

]]> By: Andy Hatchett http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51046 Andy Hatchett Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:33:00 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51046 How very odd! How very odd!

]]> By: Tony Knight http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51044 Tony Knight Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:34:03 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51044 Nowhere else I can think to post it. Someone has deleted the Family Tree Maker message board. The Mac version is still there, but the main one has gone. Nowhere else I can think to post it. Someone has deleted the Family Tree Maker message board. The Mac version is still there, but the main one has gone.

]]> By: dklart http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51034 dklart Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:44:33 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51034 ATTN: Tana L Pedersen, Can you check out this thread about the problems with "Save person to another tree" on the message board? Please toss it off to a programmer that can put in a fix. http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.ancestry.ancsite/10680/mb.ashx ATTN: Tana L Pedersen,

Can you check out this thread about the problems with “Save person to another tree”
on the message board?

Please toss it off to a programmer that can put in a fix.

http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.ancestry.ancsite/10680/mb.ashx

]]> By: Valerie C http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2010/12/10/family-tree-maker-is-a-holiday-hit/#comment-51033 Valerie C Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:37:24 +0000 http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/?p=5106#comment-51033 Why doesn't the discount code for for FTM for Mac? Why doesn’t the discount code for for FTM for Mac?

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